This post is geared towards applicants in Ontario who are currently going through the OFAI process, or plan to in the future.

If you haven’t already read the first post to the OFAI Series, I suggest you go back at some point and read it at some point before going for your OFAI Testing.

OFAI Stage 3 (Skills Test) – 6 Guidelines To Follow

Also, if you haven’t read the instructions on the OFAI site for this specific evolution then I would suggest you head there now.

OFAI Site – Skills Section

The Hose Assembly evolution during the Stage 3 Skills Testing can be rather tricky for some people to pass. It’s not because candidates lack the skills to catch a hydrant and assemble hose, it’s because they’re failing due to small errors they make. Luckily I’ll be going over the common errors candidates make later in the post.

I’m going to go over 4 key points that will help you pass the test in your FIRST try, so you don’t have to come back and spend more money for a retest.

So let’s start with the first point.

1. Organize Hose/Appliances In Groups

If you read the first OFAI post, you’ll remember that one of the points I made was to take the full allotted time given to you prior to performing the evolution. Candidates are given 5 minutes to review instructions before proceeding, which I suggest taking the full 5 minutes to prep yourself before commencing.

During the 5 minutes, organize all the hoses and appliances together in respect to where you will be connecting them.

Group together the following:

-65 mm gate valve and the 2 lengths of 100 mm hose

-Gated Wye (100 mm to two 65 mm), 2 lengths of 65 mm hose, 65 mm nozzle

-Gated Wye (65 mm to two 38 mm), 1 length of 45 mm hose, 45 mm nozzle

It’s also been brought to my attention that the instructors will now not allow candidates to touch anything prior to start time. If this is the case than I would still highly recommend you take the time at the beginning of your test to organize everything. It doesn’t take long and it will make your life easier, while still shaving off some valuable time.

Now when you go to assemble a section, bring the whole grouping together with you, that way you’re not running back and forth wasting time and gassing yourself.

For example say you complete the 100 mm connections and are about to walk to the end of the 100 mm to attach the gated wye, BRING EVERYTHING WITH YOU. Bring the gated wye, the two lengths of 65 mm hose and the 65 mm nozzle. That way you’re not wasting time running back for each appliance.

Grouping the appliances/hose together like this will save you a great deal of time and will also save you from forgetting something.

2. Draw It Out

One thing that helped me prepare for this evolution was to draw out everything until I was comfortable memorizing the order.

It’ll give you a clear picture of how to lay everything out and makes things much easier to understand.

I actually found an old sketch I drew out while preparing for the testing a while back.

3. Don’t Rush Your Connections

Over time the equipment used at OFAI gets banged up and worn out. It can cause some frustration for candidates when things don’t go as smoothly as they imagine.

Where that comes into play with this evolution is the quality of couplings and threading with the hose appliances/hose.

I remember trying to connect the 45 mm hose to the nozzle (near the end of the evolution) and it took me forever to line up the threading and connect it. It’s not a fun feeling being under pressure with the time counting down.

With that being said, it’s important not to rush connections because it’ll only make it tougher for you. Take your time, line it up and turn slowly. This may sound redundant but it’s important.

4. Be Aware Of Common Mistakes.

I thought I would provide you guys a list of common mistakes candidates make, which lead to failures:

-Connecting the 100 mm hose from the hydrant to the wrong connection on the pump panel. Make sure you connect the hydrant 100 mm hose to the connection that is marked “Inlet/Intake”

-Not having the gated wye valve positioned the right way (when the handle is in line with the hose, it means the valve is open and water will flow through hose line)

-Running out of time. Out of all 6 evolutions, I would say the Hose Assembly will take you the most amount of time to complete the task. It’s easy to go passed the 10 minute mark.

-Forgetting to connect the 65 mm Gate Valve on the hydrant.

-Forgetting to turn the hydrant on. It sounds ridiculous but it’s something that’s easily forgotten since everything is simulated. How to Become a Firefighter

So there you have it guys!

I hope these 4 points will help you with passing this evolution your first try.

I’ll be eventually covering every evolution involved in the stage 3 testing so be sure to tune in!

Also, I love feedback. Let me know if this helped or if there’s something you feel I should add.